Tag: Buffalo Braves

All-Time Brooklyn Nets vs. All-Time Los Angeles Clippers

Our next match features two big-market teams that have accomplished very little in their time in the NBA. While the Nets had a brief run as a juggernaut in the ABA, they’ve mostly been a laughingstock since, save for a noteworthy stint behind a Hall-of-Fame point guard in the 2000s. The Clippers had a promising start as the Buffalo Braves, but then became the worst franchise in sports, before finally trading for another Hall-of-Fame point guard and becoming an annual contender over the past four seasons. These point guards are the featured match up in the battle between the All-Time Brooklyn Nets vs. All-Time Los Angeles Clippers, which will produce an unlikely second round participant in our tournament.

Brooklyn’s Advantages

Balance: The Nets have a well-constructed starting lineup. They have a low post scorer (Derrick Coleman) along with a bruising rebounder (Buck Williams). They have two athletic wings, both of whom can shoot from deep and slash to the rim (Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson). They also have a great floor general who will double as their premier perimeter defender (Jason Kidd). This unit will cause trouble for the Clippers’ power forward heavy lineup.

Wing Depth: The Nets are well-positioned to take advantage of one of Los Angeles’s biggest weaknesses, wing depth. Carter, Jefferson, and Kerry Kittles are all between 6’5” and 6’7”, and are all supremely athletic. Los Angeles may have to play at a slower pace to mitigate this issue and wear Brooklyn out with their assortment of big men.

Brooklyn’s Question Marks

Star Power: This is a relative term; the Nets have a potential Hall-of-Fame backcourt and all-stars littered throughout their roster. However, they only have two players with a PER above 20, and Carter has their highest WS/48 total at .148, a relatively low team-high compared to other franchises in this tournament. The Clippers appear to have more high-end talent, especially in their starting lineup, even if the pieces don’t fit together perfectly.

Los Angeles’s Advantages

Rebounding: The Clippers are starting three big men (Blake Griffin, Elton Brand, and Bob McAdoo), and have two former rebounding champions coming off their bench (Swen Nater and DeAndre Jordan). They should be able to control the glass in this series, and to wear out the Nets’ frontcourt in the process.

Los Angeles’s Question Marks

Spacing: How will the starting lineup function with Griffin nominally playing at small forward? Will the combination of Griffin, Brand, and McAdoo get in each other’s way, or mesh to form a dominant frontcourt?

X-Factor

Can the Nets exploit the Clippers big man lineup? The key for the Clippers will be Griffin, who has the athleticism to play credibly at small forward. Expect Doc Rivers to stagger Griffin, Brand, and McAdoo’s minutes after the opening of each game, and to play the athletic Corey Maggette heavy minutes at the three.

Results

The Clippers have been an NBA wasteland for the majority of their existence. However, they had a few respectable seasons back in their Buffalo Braves days, and they’ve been elite since Chris Paul has teamed up with Blake Griffin. They also lucked out by drawing the moribund Nets as their first-round tournament opponent. I can’t believe I’m about to type this. Do you believe in miracles?

Chris_Paul_Heroics_Lead_Clippers_to_Game_7_Victory

Clippers win, four games to three.

Next Round

Los Angeles takes on the All-Time Pistons.

All-Time Los Angeles Clippers Team

All-Time Los Angeles Clippers Team Infographic

Our next franchise was the epitome of failure for much of their existence. Led by the contemptible Donald Sterling, they managed to make only four playoff appearances in their first 33 seasons on the west coast, after moving over from Buffalo. Recently, three events have helped to turn around their fortunes and make them an annual contender. First, they used the first pick in the 2009 draft on Blake Griffin, a hyper-athletic forward who helped to electrify their fan base. Then, David Stern blocked a trade that would have sent the great Chris Paul to the rival Lakers, allowing the Clippers to ultimately land him in what became a laughably one-sided trade. Finally, Sterling became embroiled in a scandal that resulted in his banishment from the league, and forced him to finally sell the franchise. Now that their baggage has been removed, they’re poised to remain a contender for years to come, and an attractive free-agent destination for the first time ever. The All-Time Los Angeles Clippers team reflects this promise, with three contributors from the present-day team that make them more competitive than their franchise history warrants.

Several advanced statistics have Paul rated as the greatest point guard of all time. He’s third in league history in win shares per 48 minutes, behind Michael Jordan and David Robinson. He’s sixth all-time in PER, and first among point guards. While playoff success has eluded him, he’s one of the greatest players ever at his position, and his arrival immediately brought credibility to this franchise. He’s joined in the starting backcourt by Randy Smith, a throwback to the Buffalo Braves days who once set a league record for consecutive games played at 906. They’re backed up by Norm Nixon, a talented play maker who led the league in total assists in his first year with the club, and Corey Maggette, a high scoring wing whose knack for drawing fouls helped him compile a .578 true shooting percentage as a Clipper.

The starting frontcourt consists of three natural power forwards, each of whom brings a unique skill set to the table. Griffin has developed into one of the best players in the current NBA, with the rare ability to handle the basketball and initiate his team’s offense as a big man. Elton Brand helped to briefly resurrect the franchise in the 2000s by serving as the pillar of a young team that came within one game of reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2006. Although he didn’t have elite size (6’8”), he excelled at offensive rebounding and used his solid mid-range and post-up games to average over 20 PPG and 10 RPG in his Clippers career. Bob McAdoo is the most decorated player in franchise history. One of the greatest shooting big men of all time, he led the league in scoring three years in a row (1974 to 1976), peaking in the 1975 season, when he averaged 34.5 PPG and 14.1 RPG, and won the only MVP award in franchise history.

Off the bench, Bob Kauffman and Charles Smith can play at both forward positions. Kauffman was a three-time all-star who averaged 19.0 PPG, 10.7 RPG, and 4.5 APG from 1971 to 1973. Smith is best known for this (and more recently, this), but as a Clipper, he was a high scoring option who twice eclipsed the 20.0 PPG barrier. Danny Manning was a multitalented power forward who should fit well alongside the other frontcourt options. Swen Nater and DeAndre Jordan are true big men who will provide this team with two physical options against opposing frontcourts. Nater led the league in rebounding in 1980, while Jordan has led the league in rebounding for the past two seasons, and in field goal percentage for the past three.

Despite never winning 50 or more games in their first 42 seasons of operation, the All-Time Clippers team has a good amount of talent. The 22nd seeded team in our tournament, they have a first-round match up against the All-Time Brooklyn Nets.

Coach: Doc Rivers

All-Time Franchise Winning Percentage (through 2014-15): .389